Auto accidents are the most common form of injury that occurs across the population. Healing takes place in distinct phases, the length of which are determined by the amount of tissue damaged. Patients are often confused about whether to use heat or ice following a traumatic accident. For the first 72 hours following the trauma ice is indicated to reduce swelling and pain. The ice should be used for a total of 20 minutes at a time and with a thin protector on the skin to prevent skin injury . The iced area should be numb to the touch after 8 minutes. For the first 2-3 days it is best to treat the swelling with ice and medications.Resting and not putting too much stress on the injured tissue is also indicated.For mild injuries,norma lactivitie can be resumed within 2-5 days, the healing will continue on its own. For moderate to severe injuries, seeking professional help in terms of physical medicine will often help reduce pain and improve function more quickly . More severe injuries may also require considerable effort in terms of rehabilitation to avoid long term symptoms. If professional help is required we can be reached at 281 - 991 - 3002 and there are usually no out of pocket costs associated with the treatment.

Did You Know ?

It is estimated that 15-40% of those who are injured in a motor vehicle collision will suffer from ongoing chronic pain.(Journal of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, 2007)

Whiplash injuries not only increase the incidence of chronic neck and shoulder pain, it also significantly increased the incidence of other systemic ill health effects.In other words, whiplash injures cause more than neck pain and headache, it hurts the health of the entire body. (Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 2001)

That essentially 100% of those who are suffering from chronic pain caused by a whplash injury will have an abnormal psychological profile with standard assessments, and the only way to resolve the abnormal psychological profile was to successfully treat the chronic spinal pain. Psychotherapy was not able to improve the abnormal psychological profile, nor was it able to improve the patient’s chronic pain complaint.

In the longest study ever performed on whiplash injured patients (astudy looking at the health status 17 years after injury), 55%of the patientsstill suffered from pain caused by the original trauma.(Accident Analysis and Prevention, 2002)

90% of those who are initially given a cervical collar for their whiplash injuries will be suffering from chronic neck pain 6 months later. (Spine, 2000)

2% of whiplash-injured patients will have severe pain and problems that require ongoing medical investigations and drugs 7.5 years after being injured. (Injury, 2005)

A single whiplash injury can increase the incidence of neck spinal arthritis by 10 years compared to people who have not been in a whiplash accident. (The Journal of Orthopedic Medicine, 1997)